General Information
Area:
862 sq. km
Altitude:
100-2000m (accessible 100-300m)
Lat -
Long: 27.1N 93E, in E. Kameng district, Arunachal
Pradesh, India.
Park HQ/ Entry
points: Seijusa1/ Seijusa1 and Tipi
Vegetation Type: Lowland
evergreen forest, shingle banks, farmland,
plantations. Though Pakke and Kaziranga are both at very low
elevations the vegetation is very different and therefore so are the
birds.
Best Season - Birds: November-March
(April)
Best Season - butterflies/herps:
Monsoon, especially May and October.
Butterflies were active even in December but not in April.
Speciality Birds:
Speciality Birds:
Jerdon's baza, pied falconet, white-cheeked
hill-partridge, grey peacock-pheasant, elwe's crake, ibisbill, emerald cuckoo,
red-headed trogon, green-pigeon spp., forest eagle-owl, wreathed and great
hornbills, collared and long-tailed broadbills, blue-naped pitta, lesser
shortwing, white-browed shortwing, daurian redstart, leschenault's forktail,
lesser necklaced laughing-thrush, silver-eared leiothrix, white-bellied yuhina,
yellow-bellied flycatcher-warbler, sultan tit, ruby-cheeked sunbird, maroon
oriole, crow-billed drongo,
Birding Areas
Pakke Tiger Reserve
& its surroundings
Seijusa1: 2-4 days
1. Garden and woodland around the Forest Dept complex
2. Farmland and scrub, 2-4 km up to and beyond Seijusa2
3. Woodland and open scrub across the river around the FRH and
animal enclosures
4. Shingle banks of the river
5. Forest along the first 2 km of the Khari road
Khari:
2-4 days
1. Forest-edge around the FRH
2. 2-3 km of the road towards Seijusa,
3. Forest edge along streams and rivers.
4. Animal trails into the forest
Khari has a wonderful view. There are few experiences to beat
sitting on the platform in the evening, pleasantly tired after a
great day of birding, with a hot cup of tea and snacks and watching
a large elephant herd ford the river below while emerald and rufous-bellied
plaintive cuckoos are trying to raise the dead in the tree behind.
In 1994, our evening ritual during a full week was to welcome a
flock each of both broadbills as they settled in the vicinity for
the night! Spot-bellied eagle-owls have been seen in the area as
well.
Tipi:
1-2 days
1. Roadside birding along the highway
2. The river below the FRH
3. Cross the river and follow the trail into the forest
Boarding & Lodging
Seijusa1 (Grade 3) : Furnished
FRH (4 people) just outside the Park. Camping? Power supply erratic.
Khari (Grade 5) : furnished FRH (4
people). Camping? No electrical power.
Tipi (Grade 4) : furnished FRH (4 people). Camping? Has electrical
power.
Bhalukpong (Grade 3) : several IBs (?),
5 km from Tipi. Also a couple of very basic hotels and restaurants.
See town
grade and
accommodation descriptions
Camp style accommodation, whether in tents or in empty sheds, is
the only option between Lama Camp and Doimara. Tented camps in the
lower reaches, at Khellong and Sessni, are not recommended because
of elephant activity; Doimara is safe because of the electric fence
around the village. Perimeter trenches have been recommended to
facilitate year-round camping in all areas. Elephants move up above
Sessni only during summer (May - October) and so are not an issue
for winter visitors.
Contact
As of now, there is no contact person around Pakke itself for
making arrangements for visitors but we are in the process of
identifying interested persons. Forest Dept officials have been very
helpful in the past in hiring vehicles and camp staff locally. Mr.
Indi Glow of Tenga may be requested to make arrangements here as
well.
Eaglenest Biodiversity Project: Ramana
Athreya (rathreya at ncra.tifr.res.in)
More Information on the area: Ramana
Athreya email
Bird Tours: Kaati Tours & Mr. Indi
Glow (President, Bugun Welfare Society)
Mr. Glow : Tenga Market, Tenga, W. Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh, Ph
91-3782-273359; Kaati Tours:Ph
+91-2132-245770 email
Entry
Permits
Arunachal
entry permits are required for both Indians and foreigners and
are checked at Seijusa1. The Circle Officer at Seijusa2 can issue
fresh permits to extend the stay (for Indians only).
Forest entry permits are issued by the Divisional Forest Officer,
Pakke Tiger Reserve, Seijusa. E. Kameng district, Arunachal
Pradesh. Phone +91-3778-222229 (off), 222230 (res). He is also the
authority for alloting the FRH and permission to camp.
Transport
a) Walking inside the park
is permitted if accompanied by a forest guard. The only vehicle
track inside the sanctuary is between Khari and Seijusa. All other
areas have to be accessed on foot or on an elephant.
Seijusa1: 1-2 buses daily between
Seijusa2 and Tezpur. Vehicles can be rented in Tezpur (Rs. 700-1000
for a drop-off), Balipara and Chaibari (shared jeeps Rs. 25 or a
full vehicle for Rs. 300-500). Chaibari, locally pronounced Soibari,
is on the Tezpur-Itanagar highway and is a request stop for all
buses plying that road.
Khari: The Pakke bridge was washed away
last monsoon but one can ford the river on foot, by jeep or forest
Dept elephants, depending on the flow and continue in the same mode
to Khari 10 km away (Rs. 500 for elephant or jeep). One could send
the baggage by elephant and walk the distance - excellent birding
along the track.
Tipi: On the
Tezpur - Bomdila highway with several daily buses from Tezpur and
Itanagar. Shared and rental jeeps ply from Tezpur, Balipara and
Bhalukpong.
Visiting these 3 areas by public transport will necessitate a travel
overhead of 3-4 days. With a private vehicle the travel component
will be 1 day. See also transport in W. Arunachal
Visiting these places by public transport will require a travel
overhead of 3-4 days ex-Guwahati and one should keep a buffer for
bus truancy. With a private vehicle the travel component will be 1-2
days. Logistical organisation will require a day at Tenga
(alternatively, have Mr. Glow to do the organisation beforehand).
Distances
Tezpur to Balipara:
24 km;
Balipara to: Chaibari 19 km, Itakhola 23 km,
Seijusa1 41 km, Seijusa2 44 km.
Balipara to: Bhalukpong 36 km, Tipi 41 km
Miscellaneous
Seijusa1 has the Arunachal entry police checkpost, the Forest Dept offices and a couple of shops only; get down here for Pakke. The main village, Seijusa2, is about 3 km further up the road.
Nameri National Park of Assam is contiguous with Pakke Tiger Reserve, lying just across the Assam-Arunachal state border at both Seijusa1 and Khari.
Copyright © Ramana Athreya 2005
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Acknowledgements |
This webpage is a part of the Eaglenest Biodiversity Project report, which was funded by a grant from the Rufford Foundation (UK) to Ramana Athreya.
The information contained herein may be freely used, provided that these webpages and/or the project report
(Athreya 2005) are appropriately cited. The images are copyright and may not be reproduced without permission from Ramana Athreya
The author would also appreciate an
email from people who found this webpage useful, whether to a scientific study or to a vacation in the area
~ Ramana Athreya |
